Monday 16th December 2013
Cycling (15.86 Miles / 01:09:21 / 13.90 MPH / HRZ 2 / Cadence 72)
The Monday commute. This was a horrible commute, both to and from work. Nothing to do with weather but more just to do with Arseholes and Traffic.
To paraphrase the Stealers Wheels Song, "Arseholes to the left of me, traffic to the right of me. Stuck in the Middle with you."
On the way in to work this morning I nearly got wiped out. Not by a car, oh no, but by a stupid COW who decided to just walk across the road right in front of me as I'm doing about 20MPH. I let out an almighty scream and I swear she almost lifted off the ground in surprise and I'm pretty sure she may have sh*t her pants too, but she deserved it. I missed her by about 2 feet and if I had hit her, she would have been in serious trouble and I'd have been a mess. (And not just because of her sh*$ty pants!)
I'm pretty sure she will learn from this experience and I know that I have learned that pedestrians are as much of a hazard as car drivers sometimes.
Swimming (1250M / 00:55:00)
Technique Session
This was not the ordinary technique session. Coach Oliver was wearing a Santa Hat to we knew something was going to be different.
It did turn out to be a different session alright - not a lot of metres but in the middle of it all was a set of Vertical kicking, Tug (push) of war kicking with a float, swim lane tig and flat out 25M sprint relays.
I absolutely loved it. It felt good to get competitive in the pool, even though I'm not the fastest or strongest I loved the competitive edge it brings out.
We even had Celebrations sweets as treats at the end. Truly the spirit of Christmas! I'm sure it won't last.
My God - my legs and lungs were burning at times
Monday, 16 December 2013
Sunday, 15 December 2013
Windy Windy Windy and a bit of rain and Week 5 IM Training Round up.
Saturday 14th December 2013
Running (7.00 Miles / 01:00:12 / 00:08:35 per mile / HRZ2)
Holy Cow that was windy!
I knew it was windy when I went out, but I didn't expect it to be just so bad.
In all seriousness I was almost blown off my feet at a few points. That was a wet windy tough run but once again I am delighted to hold a steady pace despite being blown about like an empty bag of Bacon Rashers in the wind!
Running (7.00 Miles / 01:00:12 / 00:08:35 per mile / HRZ2)
Holy Cow that was windy!
I knew it was windy when I went out, but I didn't expect it to be just so bad.
In all seriousness I was almost blown off my feet at a few points. That was a wet windy tough run but once again I am delighted to hold a steady pace despite being blown about like an empty bag of Bacon Rashers in the wind!
Sunday 15th December 2013
Cycling (25.04 Miles / 01:32:12 / 16.30 MPH / Cadence 80 / HRZ2)
Sadly my weather beaten arse didn't get away lighter today than yesterday, in fact it was probably worse today.
Erin and Ben were reading in Church today so I went to see them and then head out for my ride after lunchtime. I was going to pay for that alright!
The plan today was to do about 40-45 miles but I have to admit the conditions just completely got the better of me and I had to settle for a thoroughly miserable 25 miles.
I am a bit disappointed in myself for bailing out and cutting short but I have to weight it up against risking an injury. It was a very real possibility that I could have been blown off the bike and the belting rain just made that even more possible.
At one point I checked my cadence while riding down a slope in to the wind. I was pedalling at 107 rpm downhill and doing 11MPH. Not good at all. That was like being in a wind tunnel.
Despite it all I am taking the positive that I still managed to hold a decent average speed and now that feeling has returned to my fingers I thought that I might write this up. ( Despite some sarcasm from folks that seemed to applaud the absence of a blog on Friday!)
Week 5 Summary 6Hrs 35 Mins Swim: 3750M
Bike: 40.93 Miles
Run: 17.4 Miles
A bit of a disappointment this week. Travel with work interrupted my training plans, so this week was a bit of a step back in volume but that might not have been a bad thing.
Bike: 40.93 Miles
Run: 17.4 Miles
A bit of a disappointment this week. Travel with work interrupted my training plans, so this week was a bit of a step back in volume but that might not have been a bad thing.
Quality of the sessions was good so I'm happy with that.
Thursday, 12 December 2013
Rude London runners and blisters
Wednesday 11th December 2013
Running (6.10 Miles / 00:52:13 /00:08:33 per mile / HRZ 2)
I took advantage of being in London on business to get out for an early run around scenic Hyde Park and Green Park.
My Hotel was just behindBuckingham Palace so it was going to be pretty nice to run past the Palace and up to Hyde Park. Unfortunately London was fog-bound and although visibility wasn’t dreadful, it was down to a couple of hundred metres at best so the run through Hyde Park was a bit less scenic than I had hoped it would be although the lack of visibility was no excuse for the rudeness of the average London runner.
Sorry to all of my London running friends, but bloody hell, what a completely unfriendly bunch. There were literally hundreds of runners and cyclists out in Hyde Park at 7.00AM and as I’m used to giving a friendly nod or ‘hello’ to other runners here in Northern Ireland, I started doing the same as I ran along. Not one, and I really mean, not one single person even acknowledged me.
Was I invisible in the fog? I don’t think so. I think it was just that big city attitude and I didn’t really like it.
Anyway, the run was great and again it felt nice and easy and the pace at just over 8.30 per mile felt very comfortable indeed.
Thursday 12th December 2013
Running ( 4.30 Miles / 00:32:23 /00:07:31 per mile / HRZ 3)
Because I missed my usual Tuesday lunch time tempo run, I arranged with Brendan to head out at lunch today to do it rather than miss it out altogether.
We modified the route a little bit but kept to the same distance.
Once again I have seen a slight improvement from last week with an 8 second time gain and the average speed improving to 7.31 per mile.
It did feel a little bit harder than I expected it to but I’m still pleased to be consistently running times that are better than I hoped for and importantly I am being very consistent on the mile splits. Some of the credit for this must go to Brendan as he is very steady, and although he tells me he feels it tight at times, he always looks very relaxed and in control of his pace. I know that I don’t!
The pace splits today were 7.33 / 7.33 / 7.35 / 7.24 / 7.33 – very consistent if I do say so myself.
I did forget my socks though and ran barefoot. The resulting blisters are not good. Oh well. They'll heal.
Monday, 9 December 2013
An enjoyable swimming mash up.
Monday 9th December 2013
Cycling (15.89 Miles / 01:04:33 / 15.00 MPH / Cadence 75 / HRZ 2)
The usual commute to and from work. No point wasting letters. Nothing to report.
Swimming (1750M / 00:53:21)
Technique Session
Another really enjoyable session tonight.
Do you know something? I could really get to like this swimming lark!
Well, let's not over step the mark but it was good fun and tonight I really felt like a lot of the lessons started to sink in.
I don't want to give the impression that I'm getting good at swimming but I can feel an improvement in how I feel in the water.
We even finished up the session with a bit of a mash up with six of us swimming three abreast down the lanes. It just reminded me of how much I actually enjoy the physical side of the swim. A bit mad but true.
Sadly I'm missing the session on Wednesday night but I'll make up for it hopefully.
Cycling (15.89 Miles / 01:04:33 / 15.00 MPH / Cadence 75 / HRZ 2)
The usual commute to and from work. No point wasting letters. Nothing to report.
Swimming (1750M / 00:53:21)
Technique Session
Another really enjoyable session tonight.
Do you know something? I could really get to like this swimming lark!
Well, let's not over step the mark but it was good fun and tonight I really felt like a lot of the lessons started to sink in.
I don't want to give the impression that I'm getting good at swimming but I can feel an improvement in how I feel in the water.
We even finished up the session with a bit of a mash up with six of us swimming three abreast down the lanes. It just reminded me of how much I actually enjoy the physical side of the swim. A bit mad but true.
Sadly I'm missing the session on Wednesday night but I'll make up for it hopefully.
Sunday, 8 December 2013
Batling the wind, missing the view and the week 4 IM training round-up.
Saturday 7th December 2013
Running (6.60 Miles / 01:00:13 / 00:09:05 / HRZ 2)
My weekend long run and I thought it would be a good opportunity to take it really easy and run at a pace that felt sedate.
The great news is that it did indeed feel very easy and the average pace was a bit slower than previous runs, but in saying that so was the corresponding Heart Rate. Lower than it's been in a long time and plenty of space to crank up the pace a bit but still keep control of everything else.
I'm rather pleased with that.
Sunday 8th December 2013
Cycling (32.47 Miles / 2:09:37 / 15.10 MPH / HRZ 2 / Cadence 77) Elevation Gain 576M
The Sunday long run was under some doubt of cancellation and was dependent on my condition this morning following the Tri Club Christmas Dinner last night.
Thankfully on so many levels I woke up feeling fine and decided to hit the road and get a decent ride in.
My intention was to head up the hill from the house and make my way up to Divis Mountain which is a decent wee climb. Once I got to the road just below Divis it became clear to me that I was going to have to rethink things as I couldn't even see the big transmitters on the top of the Mountain because the weather had closed in and I was already engulfed in fog and mizzle. No point heading up to one of the best views over Belfast if all I was going to see was rain and cloud.
I then took a turn down towards Dundrod along the home straight of the Ulster Grand Prix. Sadly the wind was absolutely battering me and it was pretty rough at times.
The wind was a constant feature of the ride and it was really strong and my route unfortunately meant that I was riding in to it or across it. I know that his explains my slightly lower average speed but I am pleased with myself that I rode through it and even though there were some tight hills and strong winds I actually never really felt under any pressure and kept comfortable.
Week 4 Summary9Hrs 15 Mins
Swim: 3800M
Bike: 85 Miles
Run: 16.91 Miles
A pretty successful week of training and the first week that I have managed to get all the sessions in, except for the Core strength sessions. I really am struggling to get these in to my structure but I will find a way.
The great thing is that the levels were all either consistent or up this week, more miles running and cycling and average running pace is up a bit too.
Good news I think.
Next week will be a challenge as I am away on business for a couple of days and think I will struggle to get all of the sessions in but I don't think it will kill me if I miss one or two for a week.
Running (6.60 Miles / 01:00:13 / 00:09:05 / HRZ 2)
My weekend long run and I thought it would be a good opportunity to take it really easy and run at a pace that felt sedate.
The great news is that it did indeed feel very easy and the average pace was a bit slower than previous runs, but in saying that so was the corresponding Heart Rate. Lower than it's been in a long time and plenty of space to crank up the pace a bit but still keep control of everything else.
I'm rather pleased with that.
Sunday 8th December 2013
Cycling (32.47 Miles / 2:09:37 / 15.10 MPH / HRZ 2 / Cadence 77) Elevation Gain 576M
The Sunday long run was under some doubt of cancellation and was dependent on my condition this morning following the Tri Club Christmas Dinner last night.
Thankfully on so many levels I woke up feeling fine and decided to hit the road and get a decent ride in.
My intention was to head up the hill from the house and make my way up to Divis Mountain which is a decent wee climb. Once I got to the road just below Divis it became clear to me that I was going to have to rethink things as I couldn't even see the big transmitters on the top of the Mountain because the weather had closed in and I was already engulfed in fog and mizzle. No point heading up to one of the best views over Belfast if all I was going to see was rain and cloud.
This is what it should look like
I then took a turn down towards Dundrod along the home straight of the Ulster Grand Prix. Sadly the wind was absolutely battering me and it was pretty rough at times.
The wind was a constant feature of the ride and it was really strong and my route unfortunately meant that I was riding in to it or across it. I know that his explains my slightly lower average speed but I am pleased with myself that I rode through it and even though there were some tight hills and strong winds I actually never really felt under any pressure and kept comfortable.
Week 4 Summary9Hrs 15 Mins
Swim: 3800M
Bike: 85 Miles
Run: 16.91 Miles
A pretty successful week of training and the first week that I have managed to get all the sessions in, except for the Core strength sessions. I really am struggling to get these in to my structure but I will find a way.
The great thing is that the levels were all either consistent or up this week, more miles running and cycling and average running pace is up a bit too.
Good news I think.
Next week will be a challenge as I am away on business for a couple of days and think I will struggle to get all of the sessions in but I don't think it will kill me if I miss one or two for a week.
Friday, 6 December 2013
Sea sick in the pool
Friday 6th December 2013
Swimming (2000M / 00:43:43)
Endurance Session – 18M Pool at Gym
Quick swim at lunchtime today to make up for missing the Club endurance swim on Wednesday when I was in work in Bristol.
I haven’t done a longer straight through swim in a wee while as the Club sessions still have some drills and rest periods in them, so this was a chance to see how the endurance engine was building up.
My goal was to do 2000M and ideally in about 45 minutes. Secretly I hoped it would be a touch quicker as the shorter 18M pool definitely helps. More importantly though I wanted to do this at a steady 7 out of 10 effort scale.
The first 1500M went really well and I felt smooth and well in control and was working well on my body rotation and pull. Then I started to feel a bit queasy and I decided to take a one minute rest. I think it was the rocking motion from extra rotation combined with doing it for a longer period than I have done for a while non stop. Anyway the result was a sort of mild sea-sickness.
It did pass pretty well during the rest minute and I was able to finish off the rest of the set without puking in the pool.
I’m fairly satisfied with the swim and know that the feeling of queasiness will pass as I get more used to building the distance.
Most importantly I contained the effort and focussed on my stroke and rotation and from that perspective it was positive.
Thursday, 5 December 2013
Born Again hard.
Thursday 5th December 2013
Cycling (01:00:14 / 19.30 Miles / 19.20MPH / HRZ 2 / Cadence 88)
Turbo Trainer - Sufferfest Angels
The horrendous weather put paid to any thoughts of doing my early hills on the bike this morning - it would have been too dangerous. The wind and rain would have tested my very ordinary bike handling skills on the descent down the Pond Park Road.
I opted then for a Sufferfest Video and sure why not choose one with a simulated climb up Alpe d'Huez.
The session went really well and although probably not as tough as the hill session I had planned, it was a good substitute.
Running (00:51:32 / 6.00 Miles / 00:08:35 per mile / HRZ 2)
In the words of Gunnery Sergeant Hartman from Full Metal jacket, I am "Born again hard!"
No doubt about it, I am sure most people would have looked at the weather this evening and called it quits on a run. Not me though! I went out and braved the elements. After all, I am an Ironman!
Once again the tippy tappy steps and fast turnover was the focus, and once again it worked.
A low level Zone 2 Heart Rate but still cracking out a pace just over 8.30 per mile. I am bloody delighted with that. Would the real Jellyman please stand up? because it just doesn't feel like me.
Cycling (01:00:14 / 19.30 Miles / 19.20MPH / HRZ 2 / Cadence 88)
Turbo Trainer - Sufferfest Angels
The horrendous weather put paid to any thoughts of doing my early hills on the bike this morning - it would have been too dangerous. The wind and rain would have tested my very ordinary bike handling skills on the descent down the Pond Park Road.
I opted then for a Sufferfest Video and sure why not choose one with a simulated climb up Alpe d'Huez.
The session went really well and although probably not as tough as the hill session I had planned, it was a good substitute.
Running (00:51:32 / 6.00 Miles / 00:08:35 per mile / HRZ 2)
In the words of Gunnery Sergeant Hartman from Full Metal jacket, I am "Born again hard!"
No doubt about it, I am sure most people would have looked at the weather this evening and called it quits on a run. Not me though! I went out and braved the elements. After all, I am an Ironman!
Once again the tippy tappy steps and fast turnover was the focus, and once again it worked.
A low level Zone 2 Heart Rate but still cracking out a pace just over 8.30 per mile. I am bloody delighted with that. Would the real Jellyman please stand up? because it just doesn't feel like me.
Tuesday, 3 December 2013
A nice pacey run that's getting a bit quicker each week.
Tuesday 3rd December 2013
Running ( 4.30 Miles / 00:32:41 / 00:07:35 / HRZ3)
Tempo Run
Lunchtime tempo run with Brendan from work again.
I am delighted with this run, even though it felt pretty tough going and at times we were running far too quickly to be sustained.
I really must learn to pace myself better when running at tempo pace.
The beauty of doing this run regularly is that I can see improvements easily.
In the last three weeks I have knocked 1min40secs off the same route.
The splits were nice and even as well with 7.45 / 7.34 / 7.37 / 7.28 / 7.27. That's pretty pleasing.
Cycling ( 00:55:06/ 17.65 Miles / 19.20 MPH / Cadence 90 / HRZ2)
Turbo Trainer - Sufferfest A Very Dark Place
Club Turbo session again. Tough enough with some really hard standing sessions on top of some extended intense drags.
Even better news for everyone was that we had no fallers.
No training planned for tomorrow as I am off to Bristol with work tomorrow so I will re-jig the training across the rest of the week.
Running ( 4.30 Miles / 00:32:41 / 00:07:35 / HRZ3)
Tempo Run
Lunchtime tempo run with Brendan from work again.
I am delighted with this run, even though it felt pretty tough going and at times we were running far too quickly to be sustained.
I really must learn to pace myself better when running at tempo pace.
The beauty of doing this run regularly is that I can see improvements easily.
In the last three weeks I have knocked 1min40secs off the same route.
The splits were nice and even as well with 7.45 / 7.34 / 7.37 / 7.28 / 7.27. That's pretty pleasing.
Cycling ( 00:55:06/ 17.65 Miles / 19.20 MPH / Cadence 90 / HRZ2)
Turbo Trainer - Sufferfest A Very Dark Place
Club Turbo session again. Tough enough with some really hard standing sessions on top of some extended intense drags.
Even better news for everyone was that we had no fallers.
No training planned for tomorrow as I am off to Bristol with work tomorrow so I will re-jig the training across the rest of the week.
Monday, 2 December 2013
This day shall forever be known as 'Brown Monday.'
Monday 2nd December 2013
Cycling (15.86 Miles / 01:04:45 / 14.80 MPH / Cadence 75 / HRZ 2)
Where the hell did November go to? I can't believe it's December already.
Anyway the commute to work was relatively straightforward and on the way home I even managed to hop on the back of a couple of other cyclists and then slip ahead of them.
It was unusual for me to be the one doing the overtaking and pace setting.
Good fun though.
Swimming (1800M / 00:58:07)
Technique Session
I really enjoyed the session tonight - things are gradually just starting to feel a bit better and smoother. I certainly couldn't be described as having 'Finesse' as Oliver was urging us to strive for but at least I was consistent.
The evaluation set of 3X100 at the end saw my splits at 02:03 / 02:01 / 02:02 - I am pretty impressed by that and especially as I felt pretty uncomfortable on the breathing to the left set, which ironically was my fastest.
I am delighted though that I went to the 7PM session as unfortunately the 8PM session had to be cut short as someone in the pool was caught short and dispatched a brown floater in to the water. Unbelievable! I have to say that it wasn't one of our Club and probably a kid on the far side. At least I hope it was!
Here's the set.
300M warm up and stretch
Fins on:
Improve positioning
100 kick on back
100 kick on front
Improve breathing, the how and the when of breathing. Low intensity technique focused
100 Br R, 100 Br L, 100 Br 3...
100 Br pattern 3,4,5,3 per length
Fins of:
50 Br R, 50 Br L, 50 Br 3
100 Br pattern 3,4,5,3 per length
Improve Catch and Pull
3 x 100 as 2 Doggy Paddle, 25 Swim, 25 Doggy Paddle, 25 Swim
#1 Focus on right arm and Br R
#2 Focus on left arm and Br L
#3 On swim Br 3 and focus on keeping non-breathing arm aim straight
Evaluation set:
3 x 100 steady, with 45secs RI. Record times and give make out of 10 for the effort put in
#1: Br R
#2: Br L
#3: Br 3
Cycling (15.86 Miles / 01:04:45 / 14.80 MPH / Cadence 75 / HRZ 2)
Where the hell did November go to? I can't believe it's December already.
Anyway the commute to work was relatively straightforward and on the way home I even managed to hop on the back of a couple of other cyclists and then slip ahead of them.
It was unusual for me to be the one doing the overtaking and pace setting.
Good fun though.
Swimming (1800M / 00:58:07)
Technique Session
I really enjoyed the session tonight - things are gradually just starting to feel a bit better and smoother. I certainly couldn't be described as having 'Finesse' as Oliver was urging us to strive for but at least I was consistent.
The evaluation set of 3X100 at the end saw my splits at 02:03 / 02:01 / 02:02 - I am pretty impressed by that and especially as I felt pretty uncomfortable on the breathing to the left set, which ironically was my fastest.
I am delighted though that I went to the 7PM session as unfortunately the 8PM session had to be cut short as someone in the pool was caught short and dispatched a brown floater in to the water. Unbelievable! I have to say that it wasn't one of our Club and probably a kid on the far side. At least I hope it was!
Here's the set.
300M warm up and stretch
Fins on:
Improve positioning
100 kick on back
100 kick on front
Improve breathing, the how and the when of breathing. Low intensity technique focused
100 Br R, 100 Br L, 100 Br 3...
100 Br pattern 3,4,5,3 per length
Fins of:
50 Br R, 50 Br L, 50 Br 3
100 Br pattern 3,4,5,3 per length
Improve Catch and Pull
3 x 100 as 2 Doggy Paddle, 25 Swim, 25 Doggy Paddle, 25 Swim
#1 Focus on right arm and Br R
#2 Focus on left arm and Br L
#3 On swim Br 3 and focus on keeping non-breathing arm aim straight
Evaluation set:
3 x 100 steady, with 45secs RI. Record times and give make out of 10 for the effort put in
#1: Br R
#2: Br L
#3: Br 3
Sunday, 1 December 2013
A lesson in Group Cycling and the Week 3 IM training round-up.
Sunday 1st December 2013
Cycling (02:26:25 / 40.32 Miles / 16.50 MPH / Cadence 84 / HRZ 2)
The ride today was really enjoyable and it was great to get out on a group ride with the guys from the Club.
I even managed to learn something today. I'm not all that proficient at riding in a group and not absolutely with the etiquette or the technique to move up through the group and take turns at the front.
After a wee bit of instruction from Arran who could see that I clearly had no clue, I managed to get it right. In fact I think I did a few good turns on the front and was happy to do so as it made me push on a bit.
It was a lovely route and I was pretty chuffed with my riding. A good end to the week.
Week 3 Summary
9Hrs 03 Mins
Swim: 3900M
Bike: 83.44 Miles
Run: 13.49 Miles
This week was another little step up in the progression in terms of mileage and time in training.
It's been good and the additional time has felt OK and it feels relatively comfortable so I am looking forward to it stepping up a bit over the next few weeks.
I still haven't managed to nail all of the workouts planned in a week so far and this week I missed out on a Tempo Run because of my sore toe, which in hindsight was a good thing as I recovered quickly and was able to nail all the other main sessions.
I still haven't managed to get my core sessions in yet and this has been a combination of circumstances and probably more honestly, a lack of enthusiasm to do them. I'll try to get at least one of them in this week. (Fingers crossed.)
Cycling (02:26:25 / 40.32 Miles / 16.50 MPH / Cadence 84 / HRZ 2)
The ride today was really enjoyable and it was great to get out on a group ride with the guys from the Club.
I even managed to learn something today. I'm not all that proficient at riding in a group and not absolutely with the etiquette or the technique to move up through the group and take turns at the front.
After a wee bit of instruction from Arran who could see that I clearly had no clue, I managed to get it right. In fact I think I did a few good turns on the front and was happy to do so as it made me push on a bit.
It was a lovely route and I was pretty chuffed with my riding. A good end to the week.
Week 3 Summary
9Hrs 03 Mins
Swim: 3900M
Bike: 83.44 Miles
Run: 13.49 Miles
This week was another little step up in the progression in terms of mileage and time in training.
It's been good and the additional time has felt OK and it feels relatively comfortable so I am looking forward to it stepping up a bit over the next few weeks.
I still haven't managed to nail all of the workouts planned in a week so far and this week I missed out on a Tempo Run because of my sore toe, which in hindsight was a good thing as I recovered quickly and was able to nail all the other main sessions.
I still haven't managed to get my core sessions in yet and this has been a combination of circumstances and probably more honestly, a lack of enthusiasm to do them. I'll try to get at least one of them in this week. (Fingers crossed.)
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